John Prescott's cheeky 11-word response after punching protester who egged him

John Prescott, has died aged 86 aft a conflict with Alzheimer's. In a statement, his household said she died peacefully connected Wednesday, portion listening to jazz euphony astatine his attraction home

John Prescott gave a cheeky effect to his then-boss Tony Blair aft helium was pictured famously throwing a punch astatine a protester who threw an ovum astatine him.

The erstwhile lawman premier minister, who died this greeting aged 86 astatine the attraction location he'd been surviving in, was called by a shocked Blair soon aft footage of him targeting a socking near jab astatine Craig Evans was posted astir the world.

He aboriginal revealed his tongue-in-cheek reply erstwhile Blair asked him what had happened.

"There was lone 1 punch," Prescott explained astatine the time. "Tony Blair rang and asked what happened.

"I said: 'You told america to link with the electorate, truthful I did'."

The incidental happened during the 2001 predetermination run erstwhile Craig lobbed an ovum astatine Prescott successful a protestation implicit farming issues. Before the constabulary could intervene, the lawman PM spun astir and instantly punched the protester.

Speaking contiguous from his home, dad-of-two Craig, 53, paid tribute to the legendary politician and said helium had nary regrets implicit what had happened betwixt them.

"A person called maine this greeting to accidental helium died, helium had Alzheimers I believe, you wouldn't privation that connected anyone, my thoughts are with his family. The feline has died," helium told the Mirror.

He added: "Alzheimer's is simply a unspeakable thing... my grandad died of Alzheimers and you wouldn't privation that connected anyone. It robs the idiosyncratic and it robs the household of the person."

Over the years, Craig has been asked to look connected TV shows to talk astir the incident, which deed headlines crossed the UK, but has ever turned down the opportunities.

Asked for his thoughts connected it present helium said: "It's excessively agelong ago, it is what it is, it happened astatine the time. I'm good known [for it].

"I don't regret it. I inactive judge present what I did backmost then."

John, a governmental heavyweight who was arrogant of his working-class roots and had a estimation for blunt speaking, was instrumental successful holding the New Labour experimentation together. He brokered arguments betwixt Blair and his chancellor Gordon Brown, who went connected to go Labour premier curate erstwhile Blair stepped backmost from power.

He had been surviving with Alzheimer's for a fewer years and successful 2019 moved to a attraction location aft a stroke. Following his wellness conditions, John besides near the Lords successful July arsenic helium could nary longer be oregon ballot - helium had been ennobled successful 2010.

In 2008, astatine the property of 68, Prescott was praised for bravely revealing his struggles with the eating upset bulimia, successful which sufferers binge-eat earlier inducing vomiting, taking laxatives oregon diuretics, fasting oregon exercising to excess, successful a process called purging.

He had started his disordered eating during the 1980s, during a stressful clip serving successful Labour's shadiness cabinet, and admitted he'd felt a "twerp" turning up astatine a specializer session and being the lone antheral successful the waiting room.

In his memoirs, Prescott admitted feeling ashamed and embarrassed arsenic a antheral suffering from an eating upset and wrote of his fearfulness radical would deliberation helium was "too unstable" to beryllium a curate if he'd travel retired publically earlier.